Mike Mann is known for his prolific trajectory in the domain industry. Always unconventional and super-charged, Mike Mann stands out as a domain warrior; fighting both for charity and for constructive entrepreneurship.
When we offered to interview Mike Mann about his professional and personal modus operandi and his life’s achievements, Mike embraced the idea with his usual rapid style.
So here it is, unedited – a true raw domainer interview with Mike Mann, exclusive to DomainGang.
Mike Mann
DG: Mike, do you regret selling BuyDomains.com – would you buy back the company if the price were right?
Mike Mann: no, just the price, yes on buying back, again a factor of price.
Translation: Mike’s a smart investor. When money is involved, the paradigm buy low, sell high applies.
DG: Does the domain industry suffer from a lack of understanding humor?
Mike Mann: most of the people are pretty fun and funny.
Translation: There are some people that aren’t fun and can’t tell what’s funny.
DG: Isn’t it possible for domainers to have fun all while achieving domain sales and forging business relationships?
Mike Mann: the ones who aren’t producing much tend to get a bad attitude.
Translation: When talking to Mike about business, keep it short and to the point.
DG: Last year you were voted as #2 in a list of “bad-ass” domainers behind Ammar Kubba. Do you feel sometimes as if Domaining is an action-packed movie in which you strive to be a protagonist?
Mike Mann: I appear as a protagonist to those projecting, but links at MikeMann.com have a record of my real work.
Translation: Mike’s prolific work is the result of passion; he often chooses to be on the sidelines planning his next project.
DG: Regarding the Sex.com sale: Was that the perfect storm for a “cursed” domain?
Mike Mann: Absolutely, scammers abound.
Translation: Mike’s glad the sale is over and done with; as with other unwanted baggage in life.
DG: Are you happy with the results financially?
Mike Mann: No, I deserved dramatically more.
Translation: There’s nothing wrong with wanting more when you feel that you deserve it. Also, if you don’t ask, you don’t receive.
DG: What drives your professional motivation every day? E.g. Achieving new sales, forging new relationships, reading absurd and outrageous news about the domain business?
Mike Mann: I try my best to be a warrior for charity which requires being a warrior with cash one way or another, I’ve had a very strong drive from day one, I don’t need much encouragement.
Translation: The best way to go forward and upward in life is to maintain the warrior mentality, give to the needy and strive to be self-made.
DG: You’ve shocked many with the openness with which you dealt about personal matters. Do you think privacy is over-rated? Is Facebook not guilty of violating it after all?
Mike Mann: blog means “web log”, ie a diary, that is its proper use, in my case I was viciously abused by parties in a crooked court system that closed all other possible doors but blogging, the First Amendment is underrated and should be used more, peaceful nonviolent protest against scamming idiots, Martin Luther King, Ghandi, Nelson Mandela, Luch Walesa.
Translation: Freedom of speech is the ultimate refuge when others attempt suffocation on a personal and professional basis. It’s also great to study the work of great people from history and their non-violent approach to the hardships of life.
DG: New gTLDs: Pro or against? Would you invest in new, long-tail gTLDs e.g. dot .entrepreneur, dot .domaining or dot .stockmarket?
Mike Mann: .nfw
Translation: Mike’s a strong supporter of the .com, .net, .org triad of TLDs, minimizing exposure to new TLD investments. This strategy seems to work well, judging from his .co sales.
DG: What is your opinion about domain conferences, do they achieve their purpose? Should the organizers strive harder to involve corporations outside of the domain industry and educate them about domain names?
Mike Mann: they suck ass other than cool people, good drinks and pretty girls, and nice hotels, the auctions are disorganized with unvetted names and poor outsider attendance, fraud etc, some of the parties are ok, the food is mediocre mostly, and some of the people need to be jailed and have their asses kicked, but I enjoy every bit of it.
Translation: Most domain conferences are overly hyped seminars but social individuals with achievements under their belt have nothing to worry about. Some known poseurs and microphone seekers create a lot of white noise in those conferences and ruin it for everyone else.
DG: Which range of keywords would you advise investors to focus on when investing in domain names, e.g. financial, news, technology, celebrity, adult?
Mike Mann: yes, no, yes, no, no.
Translation: Mike Mann knows that the world is about money and technology; that’s the way of the future.
DG: Which domain(s) from your portfolio you would never sell – other than your personal name, that is!
Mike Mann: changetheworld.org, grassroots.org, makemillions.com, interns.org, makechange.com, appliedevolution.com – won’t sell those.
Translation: Mike Mann is driven by sharing information and providing compassionate entrepreneurship to those that are willing to listen.
DG: Thank you very much Mike.
Mike Mann: thanks for thinking of me, any time.
Translation: Mike Mann knows how to be funny and has fun doing it.
